Deadly Animals

Along with the investigation into the killer’s identity, the characters of Deadly Animals investigate how killers are made. Early debates within the book attempt to resolve eugenicist Francis Galton’s (1822-1911) outdated “nature versus nurture” dichotomy, as characters argue about whether violence arises from innate tendencies within the individual or from social and environmental factors. However, these discussions quickly transcend that framework to address a larger question: whether violence should be understood as a product of those natural and environmental factors, or as a conscious and deliberate choice on the part of the perpetrator. Along with this question comes the matter of whether killers like the Wolf can be held morally (as opposed to legally) responsible for their actions.

Delahaye and his investigative team quickly discover that both innate and environmental factors can influence criminal behavior. Delahaye’s conversation with Dr. William Tremblay helps him identify the variable reasons people may commit violent crimes. People can develop psychological trauma from emotional neglect and abuse in childhood, and this trauma can influence adult feelings of intense jealousy and anger toward those perceived to have better lives. Tremblay uses Bob Aster as an example, as he was sexually abused in his youth and later enacted that abuse on others. The detectives also discuss the case of Mary Bell, the 10-year-old killer who took her rage out on her victims because “the little boys were loved and she wasn’t” (59). In the case of Nathaniel, Delahaye suggests the boy’s traumatic upbringing at Banlock Farm is the key developmental period that turned the boy into a monster. Like his own childhood, Nathaniel puts his victims in restraints before killing them. However, Detective Lines points out that a difficult upbringing is not enough to explain why some people become murderers. Speaking of Mary Bell, he says, “Loads of us are raised in poverty and we don’t murder people” (59), implying that these perpetrators have more agency in their violent actions than they may admit.

Another environmental factor that Tremblay identifies as deeply influential on criminal behavior is sudden brain injuries that create long-term psychological damage. Severe head trauma can be a contributing factor in violence, as in the case of Bob Aster, who suffered a head injury in prison, which Delahaye suspects could account for the escalation in the crimes from sexual assault to murder. Brain trauma can also draw out latent psychological conditions that a person has previously repressed, like the clinical lycanthropy Delahaye and Ava believe the killer has. Nathaniel’s behavior following his accident supports this theory, as he successfully suppressed his learned dog-like behaviors until his accident seemingly drew them back out in an uncontrollable way. Nathaniel tries to hide the extent of his condition by skipping school when his animalistic rages and “transformation” occur, but by the end of the text, his condition is so extreme that Ava sees “all the good in Nathaniel was truly gone” (331).

Despite the immense impact these environmental and psychological factors can have on a criminal’s psyche, Ava comes to understand that violent offenders like Nathaniel also willingly choose to give in to violence. Nathaniel’s behavior during the murders is at once animalistic and deliberate. The gruesomeness of his crimes—biting his victims to death—suggests a wolf’s predatory instinct, but Ava points out that each attack comes as the result of careful planning. Nathaniel uses an elaborate ruse to lure his young victims away from safety and brings them to an underground lair where he kills them in secret. He waits until the boys are safely out of sight before he puts his wolf-suit on and kills them, which indicates a degree of control over his actions. Ava thinks Nathaniel relinquished himself to his violent urges because it was easier than pushing back against them, and after a life of repressing his animal instincts, Nathaniel chooses to live as he believes is his nature.